Handlebars
by EWHH its Kenna
Summary: /SasuSaku/ Because best friends can't fall.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

Beta Read by QianYun.

**Warning: **Slightly Dark.

* * *

**Handlebars**

* * *

_It all started with handlebars..._

-

Bright emerald orbs, shone.

Black raven locks flew against the summer breeze.

A smile graced her lips.

_To think that everything started with something._

_In this case__:__ a friendship, a camaraderie,_

_a sworn love, and a secret promise._

A small foot was placed onto the white pedal.

A kunai was thrown, hitting the target on the oak tree.

A hesitant foot lifted off the ground.

_To think their everything started with handlebars._

_To think they began as strangers,_

_and bloomed into so much more._

"KYA!"

The next kunai was interrupted by a scream, making him miss his target.

Blood splurged from scraped knees.

_To think that they had __absolutely__ nothing, to do with one another._

_To think that the Uchiha Sasuke initiated the contact with her,_

_inten__ding__ on actually helping her._

Then,

_Then, to think that Haruno Sakura would actually hit him straight in the face._

_

* * *

_

A scream.

Quickly, onyx eyes bolted upwards to see what was going on.

Above the hill was a pink-haired girl climbing onto a bike. The girl's cheeks looked as though they were tear-stained and she was biting her lower lip. Hesitantly, the girl stammered back onto the bicycle and after a few tries, lifted her foot completely off the ground. Sasuke noticed how her facial expression lightened when the bike started to move.

A giant smile plastered onto her face, she felt adrenaline, as well as accomplishment, surging through her veins. Gripping the handlebars tightly, the girl let a small giggle escape through her parted lips.

Sasuke let a smile grace his lips slightly while he watched the girl blissfully ride her bike for what appeared to be the first time.

A silence greeted him.

Sighing, Sasuke shook his head and went back to his training.

"KYA!"

Sasuke flinched and his kunai faltered yet again. The kunai that was flung missed the tree completely this time and fell hopelessly onto the grass. Sasuke twitched in annoyance and gave an inward growl.

This girl, one that he had never seen before, knew exactly how to get on his nerves.

Sasuke stretched his arms and rolled his neck, getting ready to focus on training once again. He took the given opportunity to wait several minutes until everything had returned to his typical serenity—_no screaming_.

Walking up to the kunai, the Uchiha picked it up, returned to his original spot, and gracefully tossed the kunai—

"KYA!"

—to only have it falter.

Sasuke scowled. "UGH!" He spat with pure rage. Stomping up to the kunai, Sasuke picked it up and stabbed the small target, dead-center.

He gave one last look up the hill to make sure the girl was still there. Once he caught a small glimpse of pink, the Uchiha began stalking off towards the girl, slightly regaining his typical composure; his facial expression indifferent, his eyes unreadable, an overall cool persona. _Slightly_.

The rest of his un-typical composure the fact that he wasn't managing to suppress all emotions. His deep frown of disapproval and his slanted eyes only exaggerated his frustration, annoyance, and _interest_.

Interest to see how this girl could possibly fail so badly at riding a _bike._

-x-

Sasuke stared at the girl who was tightly hugging her bloodied knees and bawling her eyes out. If it weren't for his complete arrogance and insensitivity, Sasuke actually would have felt bad for the girl and showed sympathy. However, that's not Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha Sasuke was moreover the kid that looked up to his brother Uchiha Itachi.

And we _all _know Uchiha Itachi is the epitome of insensitivity and arrogance. Polite he may be, but woah! That ego is too much to handle.

Ego does not let you show sympathy.

Ego does not let you care.

Ego does not let you help a girl that's crying from her scraped knees.

Ego does _not _let you teach that girl how to ride a bike.

Maybe that was one way Uchiha Sasuke was different from his brother. Not _as _much ego possessed him. Maybe it was because Sasuke was currently a 6-year-old boy still in the process of learning the difference between selfishness and selflessness.

Maybe it was because he wasn't his brother.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

"U-Um..." Sasuke muttered. Averting his eyes to a nearby tree, he reluctantly offered the girl a hand.

Between hiccups, the girl wiped her eyes every 10 seconds. Calculations were one of Sasuke's habits—something he also learned from his brother. The girl paused when she saw a handsome boy offering his slender hand to help her up. Brushing her eyes once again, Sakura took his hand hesitantly and received his help with standing up.

"My name's Uchiha Sasuke." He muttered, remembering how Itachi always greeted everyone he met by stating his name in a formal tone.

Sakura hiccuped, bit her lip, and gave a half-hearted smile. "I-I'm H-Haruno Sak..." She paused a moment, thinking whether or not she should actually tell him her name. Her mother always reiterated the rules about Stranger Danger. But, then again, the boy did help her up and he seemed rather...nice. "Sakura." She finally finished off.

Sasuke replied to the smile by giving a little smirk and shrugging. "Hn."

...

"You suck at riding bikes."

Wrong thing to say.

The pink-haired girl began to cry her eyes out once again. Sakura tried her best to brush off the dirt and lukewarm blood that was staining her once pure white dress, but was to no avail. Setting one of her palms against her scraped knee, Sakura wiped away the blood and then wiped the ground—doing her best to take the crimson liquid off of her hand.

"U-Uh!" Sasuke fumbled for his words and furrowed his brows. It wasn't his fault he had never been put in a situation where he had to actually _comfort _someone. "Do you want me to teach you?"

Sasuke sighed when he saw how the girl gave him a peculiar look, just sitting there—crying and whatnot—and gazing at him with such abnormal alien-like eyes.

Sakura's eyes were abnormally large, but fit her face (courtesy of her gigantic forehead). They were green orbs, with strange added strikes of silver dashes. He shook off the dashes and just assumed they were from the current lighting they were in. They were stunning, of course, though he would never admit to it. So, instead, he wryly admitted that they were rather interesting.

Sakura continued to eye him carefully, her vociferous stare never once seceding, while he walked over to her bike and slowly brought it to her.

"Get on." Sasuke muttered under his breath before putting the bike's stand down. He waited for the girl to do something, but she seemed to be in her own little world. He gave a small scowl and she noticed it. For a while she didn't do anything, greeting him with an awkward silence.

She suddenly beamed, "Why are you doing this for me?"

_Because he'd always protect her,_

"So you don't fall anymore."

It wasn't like he was gonna help her with every aspect, simply the basics to riding a bike.

...

"So, I'll protect you, S...Sakura." It wasn't that Sasuke was one to stutter, in truth, he despised those who stuttered; but, it was just using her name—it was foreign to his tongue, awkward and graceless.

A giant smile was placed onto the girl's face as he tilted his head towards the bike, signaling for her to get on the seat.

"And I'll protect you, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke flushed at her suffix but pushed it aside.

-x-

"Hey! I think I'm gettin—!"

A pause greeted the two.

"KYA!"

"OW!" Sasuke seethed in pain. The girl had somehow managed to fall forward, regretfully throwing herself off the bike and straight onto him. Sakura shook her head in hopes of ridding the light-headed feeling and stumbled to her feet. Blood was slowly oozing out of her new friend's nose.

"O-oh! S-S-Sasuke-k...kun!" Sakura cried, biting her lip. (Sasuke noted that this was one of her many bad habits.) "I'm s-s-s-sorry!" Tears were streaming down her face and she was hugging him so hard, he couldn't breathe.

Biting the insides of his cheeks, Sasuke wiped his nose with the backside of his right hand. He grunted, "Hn."

Then, with a reluctant smile, he muttered, "I think you're getting better."

Sakura looked at him in shock; she was expecting him to leave her that moment.

But, what could he say?

Training was most definitely _not _a blast, it was rather boring sometimes when there wasn't someone to talk with.

_She would always protect him._

"H-huh?" She was confused, why was this boy so nice to her? She knew she would have been fuming if someone hit her in the face (and crying). Suddenly, she felt something in the pit of her stomach lighten.

It was so light, something like—

"Aa. Whatever." Sasuke offered her a helping hand up before he started his way off to the fallen bike. "I think you almost had it too."

Suddenly, a wide, cheeky smile plastered onto her plump lips, one resembling that of the Cheshire Cat. Blushing as she grabbed Sasuke's hand, she noticed how the boy had averted his face, looking completely to the side. Her breath hitched, maybe he wasn't feeling good or something, because his face was turning a vermilion red.

"Are you feeling OK, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with a worried tone. When she received a questioning glance from Sasuke, she pointed to his reddening cheeks. "You might be getting a fever or something!"

Sasuke scowled, flushing when he realized what she was pointing at. "I'll probably die of blood loss because of you." He glowered, shoving her finger away harshly.

Sakura bit her lip in complete anxiety. "WHAT?!"

—_butterflies_.

* * *

21-mississippi.

Sasuke always calculated his surroundings.

22-mississippi. 23-mississippi.

Sasuke always calculated the things about _her_.

24-mississippi.

Then, in one more second it would happen again.

25-mississippi.

10-year-old Sasuke and Sakura sat at an ice cream parlor. The girl was the only one actually eating, the boy merely sat by her side watching. A smile was gracing her her blood-red lips, an apathetic expression remained on his.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, licking her strawberry ice cream. A bite of ice cream would lather on her tongue and she'd quickly dart it back inside her mouth, then giving a—in Sasuke's opinion, dumb—cute expression. Sakura then repeated the pattern in approximately another 25 seconds.

Sasuke looked at her and rolled his eyes. The girl always asked questions, too much for his liking. For some reason, however, he never seemed to be able to deny her an answer. "Hn?"

She smiled and took another lick of her ice cream which was beginning to drip onto her fingers. "What do you like in girls?"

For a moment, Sasuke didn't know whether it was a serious question or not. Frowning, almost as though he disapproved of the question, he asked, "Why?"

Sasuke didn't catch the frown that shortly appeared on Sakura's face. She paused from her ice cream and scrunched her nose. "U-Uh." Sakura stumbled endlessly. Her emerald eyes averted to the ground, trying to let her eyes wander away from the truth and towards an excuse. She knew it was silly, all of it. Asking a _stupidstupidstupid_ question and then searching for an excuse in the _dirt_.

Her mind drifted to the thoughts of all of Sasuke's [many] fan girls.

**(They were best friends.)**

She continued to suck on her lip, her time running dry. He'd be suspicious and inquire further if she didn't hatch an excuse any time soon. Licking her ice cream she smiled and breathed, "Because..."

_Thump- Thump- Thump- Thump-_

Sasuke raised a brow and denied the feeling of his heart making a rather large leap. "Because..?"

He was eying her suspiciously. Was this even Sakura? For all he knew it could be some clone made by a fan girl. But, no girl in his class could ever get such precision with Sakura's actions—they were even down to even the rare nose scrunches and spontaneous expressions.

Since when did Sakura care about mushy-gushy stuff like this? Sasuke could have sworn that Sakura had a crush on someone, but he never really thought that he could have been the guy Sakura liked. They were best friends.

Best friends.

Not lovers.

Best friends.

Best friends.

Best friends.

Not lovers.

Not lovers.

Not...

Sasuke frowned.

Sakura frowned.

**(It was law.)**

Sasuke liked her.

Sakura liked him.

_A lot._

_..._

_...  
_

_Too much._

... Lovers.

_Thump- Thump- Thump-_

Sakura smiled, "I.."

**(Best friends **_**can't**_** like each other, like that!)**

Say it.

Say it!

_Thump- Thump-_

SAY IT!

Another hesitation came between the two.

"I...Ino-chan wanted to know."

Why can't she say it?

**(But, why did each one feel so... ****s****o guilty?)**

She wanted to protect their friendship.

_-Thump?_

Sasuke looked at Sakura and felt his stomach churn. He frowned because he didn't understand exactly _why _he was angry; and for a while there, he had even hoped for something that he didn't understand.

He didn't want to reply, _hell_, he finally found something that he couldn't bring himself to answer. However, when he saw that desperate look on Sakura's face and he knew the fact that Sakura was extremely _annoying _when she didn't get an answer, he finally sighed.

"I don't have too many preferences..." He was glaring at the table in front of them.

In this moment, Sasuke decided that he would forever _despise _sweets.

They made him feel too many emotions, they proved to him he didn't know—understand—everything.

Sakura looked at him and he already knew she wanted descriptions.

And he didn't want her to know.

Thoroughly examining her looks, he shrugged. "I like long hair, I guess, and..."

(Don't be too obvious!)

Sasuke continued to calculate Sakura's appearance and attributes.

"... Pretty and..."

Sakura looked at him and bit her bottom lip. (What a stubborn habit.)

"... Smart and..."

..?

"...Strong."

Sakura muffled a choked cry. Strong? Sasuke must not like her. Pretty? Oh no. Two negatives. Especially with that over-sized forehead she wielded. Actually, more like monstrous. Sakura felt the urge to frown, but left a placid, typical, 'Sakura grin' on her face.

"OK." Sakura replied briskly, waving her ice cream towards him. "Have a bite."

She didn't want him to know.

Sasuke frowned and bit the inside of his cheek. (Sakura was rubbing off on him.)

He wanted to protect their friendship.

"No." He shook his head, guiding the ice cream away. "I don't like sweets."

He ignored Sakura's gape.

...

...

"Do you have acrush on _Ino_, Sasuke-kun?'

Why couldn't she confess that _she _was the one who wanted to know?

He quickly backfired, "Do you have a crush on Neji?"

For _her _friendship.

No.

She bit her lip and gave a—slightly sad—smile. "...Yeah."

For _his _friendship.

No.

"Aa." He grumbled, biting his cheeks.

_They would protect each other._

* * *

Sakura darkly stared at the stained brown dirt, her eyes simply watching as her blood continued to seep into the ground. Her hands shook furiously, her eyes spontaneously shifting to her downed teammates.

One asleep and one unconscious.

The only movement from the sleeping one was granted. His chest heaving up and down slowly, almost _too _slowly and his one hand would twitch every so often. But she felt it wasn't enough at all. Far from enough, she needed to see him jumping, fighting, _dancing _for all she cared. But, this... Sasuke was in _pain_.

From some stupid snake man that sucked his neck—she swore he was a homosexual vampire or something. Yet, when she finally woke up next to Sasuke and Naruto both out, she noticed a seal marking.

(And what do vampires do? They curse you. Ergo, she understood that it was a _Cursed Seal_.)

She clenched the dirt when the hand already in her hair, dug deeper, tearing and scratching at her worn flesh. "You're not a ninja." Kin commented, suddenly kicking Sakura's back forcing her into the dirt.

Earth took the shape of her palm as her hand is continued to divulge with the dirt. Along with the rest of her trembling body, her hands began to bleed further, except she caused this pain. She was bleeding from anger and fighting. Bleeding to protect her teammates. Bleeding to help save Naruto from the world and the pain.

Bleeding to protect Sasuke. To save him from that Orochimaru guy, to save him from his brother and the pain he already understood and—and _himself_.

Kin yanked Sakura's head forcefully off of the ground by her tangled, pink hair. "Look at them, your _team." _The way Kin had clamped Sakura's hair, the girl's chin was tilted up just enough to face both of her injured teammates.

Bleeding to protect her identification as a ninja.

"You can't even protect them."

_("... Strong.")_

Sakura bit her lip.

"You can't even protect your little boyfriend." Kin sneered, signaling that she meant Sasuke.

Her Sasuke-kun.

"Ch. I can't even see what he likes about you."

Her fingers tangled deeper into Sakura's skull.

"You're just one _ugly _princess."

_("... Pretty and...")_

"Shut up." Sakura mumbled fiercely, ignoring how her body was screaming at her to run away and seething with unbearable pain.

Kin ignored her comment and let out a high pitched laugh. A mockery of Sakura's idealism for the life of a ninja. A mockery that Sakura could possibly be anywhere near Sasuke.

A mockery of Sakura's existence.

"Shut up!" Sakura growled, her tolerance growing weaker by the second.

Her fingers suddenly let go of all the clenched dirt running through them. Then, sliding her hand down her thigh she undid her kunai holster's lock and twisted it's bandaged handle. The blade's metallic luster shone under the sun's Tyndall effect and Sakura shuddered at the sight. Letting the kunai slowly graze against her naked skin she awkwardly smiled.

A sadistic smile.

"What are you going to do, _princess_? Stab me?"

_Because she promised to protect him._

And suddenly, she smirked. "You're not worth it."

The woman growled at Sakura's cocky comment, "WHAT? You stupid bitc—!" Everything stopped when Kin felt Sakura's main weight release from her left palm. A pain shot through her left cheek at the contact of Sakura's boot. Pink blurred Kin's vision as her right hand quickly retreated to rub her violated cheek. The pink strands of hair fluttered around Kin's body engulfing her sight.

Pink strands of hair.

Sakura's hair.

_( "I like long hair, I guess, and...")_

Sakura, taking her emotional loss to her advantage, stealthily moved to Kin's new blind spot. A kunai grazed Kin's left arm and blood followed. The kunai, continuing on its projectile, hit the tree that Kin had already retreated to.

"What's this, little princess?" Kin laughed maniacally at the situation. "Accuracy is required to be a ninja."

**BOOM!**

Sakura disappeared within the black smoke while Kin shrieked in horror. The explosive tag that Kin was oblivious to went off. Debris scattered around the surrounding terrain and Sakura already knew it. If Kin wasn't dead by now, she was on the verge of it.

"H-huh?!" Sakura choked out with horror. She felt a hard body press up against her back.

Sakura noticed that a pair of hands had taken hold of her upper arms and twisted them behind her back. "My, my, my, we have a feisty girlie here, Zaku!" A masculine voice chuckled. Sakura suddenly felt a cold object drawing down her neck to the collar of her shirt.

Adrenaline rushed through her body. She tried twisting and struggling in hopes to escape the brunet man's grasp, but was to no avail. The kunai slowly dragged down further drag the kunai down—slower and slower, deeper and deeper.

A twitch. "_Sa_..."

Sakura fought against her captor as best she could. She tried headbutting behind her, flailing her legs around, and scratching her fingers against whatever she could reach. With every movement, however, the grasp holding her continued to tightened. "L-LET ME G-GO!" Sakura hissed, kicking forwards and backwards trying to attack each violator.

Zaku dragged the kunai lower towards the inside of her thigh, then lowered it to the middle of her thigh.

He sliced the kunai in a single, graceless movement.

Sakura's blood hazardously poured from the new wound and she screamed at the pain.

And the sight was so damn _pleasing _to the sound-nin.

His eyes shone with madness and a sadistic grin replaced his formed placid frown. The blood seemed to be a soothing drug to his vision. The kunai then sliced at her top and blood began seeping through her red torn red outfit.

Another then another.

Sakura screamed as the kunai dug deeper into her skin with each thrust of the weapon.

She involuntarily threw more kicks, resulting in an even stronger hold. Her breaths became further ragged, further greedy. Suddenly, she realized how with each scream, the wounds would get deeper and deeper. Even tears were pleasing to these _sick _ninjas. "STOP IT!" Sakura wailed.

Zaku continued to tear more and more flesh.

More.

More.

Another twitch. "...ku..."

More.

More!

MORE!

It was so delectable! So appeasing! So beautiful! So tantalizing!

_So sexy!_

Zaku looked at how her emerald-green eyes flashed open, shining with such innocence. Zaku held the kunai in his left hand abruptly stopping with his attacks.

Sakura bit her lip.

"Such beauty..." He paused, taking in the sight of the girl before him "Such..."

He twitched with pleasure.

"Purity..." And he grinned. "Such..."

"..._Innocence_!" Zaku bellowed bringing her face closer to his. Dosu chuckled at Zaku's fun, enjoying the entertainment—now all he was waiting for was the final blow. Zaku's lips came inches away.

"Get AWAY!" Sakura seethed, averting her face to her downed teammates.

Neither of them could protect her now.

"Sa-Sasuke... Sasuke...kun..." She whimpered in fear.

Zaku laughed at hearing Sakura's futile pleads for her precious teammate. "I hope your pretty, little boyfriend wakes up in time...—to watch me _fuck _you, nice and hard."

A final twitch. "..._ra_?!"

Zaku frowned in complete rage, when he noticed how Sakura ignored his comment. His right hand shot up, pinching her chin and bringing her face towards him.

_Flash!_

"GAHHH!"

Purple aura. Blood splatter. Symbols of black. Red eyes.

Red eyes furious.

A smile so devious.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" A horrifying sneer demanded in pure disgust.

Dosu, shocked, let Sakura go and she fell into the man's arms. "S-S-Sa-Sasu-ke...k-kun?"

A sly hand wrapped around her waist and the utter of his name made his whole body tense up. Sakura didn't have time to examine Sasuke before he looked her body up and down, narrowing his eyes at the sight of her body seeping with _her _blood.

At her tear-stained face.

Sakura hesitated. She didn't understand what was going on, his eyes were slanted to the furthest degree, but...—but he was smiling—_grinning_, a feral grin.

She called for him.

For him.

No one else.

_Him._

"Who did this to you?"

Sakura looked at him; this wasn't her Sasuke-kun.

"Sakura!" Sasuke snarled. "Who did this to you?!"

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke pulled her against his broad chest and he disappeared quickly, her in his arms. Dosu, fearing the demon, started backing slowly away from the couple. A stiff figure was engulfing Dosu. Letting out a panic filled gasp, Dosu griped when he felt something grope his back. A hot breath tickled down his neck.

"Time for redemption." A devilish smirk was plastered onto the Uchiha's face.

Blood.

"AHHH!"

Sasuke licked his thin lips and let his sinister smirk grow wider. He saw the lifeless man falling to the ground and a heinous chuckle escaped his lips. It was so damn _pleasing_ to see these men fall to their feet before him.

So pleasing to kill them.

To kill them for touching what is_ his_.

Sasuke marvelled at the sight of that _bastard's_ dead body. The sight was marvelous, he shuddered as he received a foreign, yet euphoric, feeling surge through his body. The pleasure was concocted from the intoxicatingly blissful amounts of chakra that bled throughout his crimson eyes.

Throughout his entire body.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura screamed, burying her head deeper into his chest. She then finally returned his strong grip on her, by tightly hugging his body. "STOP IT!"

"..."

She cried into him, "STOP IT!"

"..."

"You're scaring me." She mumbled, biting her lip.

_He promised to protect her._

But, why was it so...

Sakura covered in blood.

_Her _blood.

..._tempting_?

Sasuke looked into her liquid eyes, she shook furiously seeing the malice glint in Sasuke's crimson eyes.

"Who are you?" She wanted to know.

**(Sakura. Sakura. Sakura. You're mine. Only mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. I'm yours. I swear. Because, I broke it.)**

The hold around Sakura's waist tightened and his slim fingers stroked her hair ever so lightly. In time, her rosy lips parted to speak more words; yet, instead of words coming out, Sakura let out a shocked gasp when she felt Sasuke tug her closer to where he successfully closed the gap that once diverged between the two.

**(I was trialed, Sakura. I really was.)**

The stroke on her hair, however, turned into a forceful grip he used to yank down, simultaneously leading her chin upwards. Then, to Sakura's horror, he pulled her face even closer, to where there noses were finally touching.

**(There was even a jury. But, those fucking bastards. They did it, they sentenced me to **_**hell**_**.)**

"What happened to _Sasuke-kun_?" He drawled seductively, his wicked smirk returning.

**(I was deemed: **_**Guilty**_**.)**

Guilty.

Guilty.

_Weak. Weak. Weak. Weak. _

And then, he kisses her savagely.

Forcefully. Brutally. Spitefully.

_Mother... Father... ITACHI!_

She was _his. _

GUILTY!

Sasuke groaned into her mouth when he felt how Sakura's heart came in sync with his. The pink-haired girl's legs became limp depending on her captor to keep her body from falling gracelessly to the ground. Sasuke tightened his grip, smirking at his effect on her, forcing Sakura to gasp from his increasing constriction.

Sasuke leaped at the advantage and slipped his tongue into her mouth ferociously. With every passing second that Sasuke ravaged her mouth, Sakura breath lessened and lessened. Sakura moaned in agitation—both from his constricting grip around her waist and the pain of the kiss.

Sakura pushed off of him with her hands as hard as she could, not escaping, but giving her enough time to speak a few words and catch her breath. "Sasuke-kun..."

He captured her mouth again, forcing her to merely moan, "_Please_."

Tears.

_You're foolish__._

Tears.

Sasuke didn't stop though, her taste was too captivating. His white teeth bit her already bruised lips, drawing a small amount of blood. A smirk against her skin proved how he the Uchiha was pleased with his work. Lapping up the blood with his slick tongue, he brushed her bottom lip, and continued to ravage her mouth.

_Get more hat__red__._

"Stop it." Sakura placed her hand onto the top left corner of his chest.

_Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate._

At the contact brought on by the other, Sasuke stiffened and brought his face away to get a full look of her.

_I'll kill them—_

Black retreated.

"Please."

Crimson faded onyx.

"P-Please Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke stopped.

"Sa-Sakura."

—_all._

Everything went black.

Why?

Why?

Why?

_Because, I love you._

I LOVE YOU!

...

...

Why won't you reply?!

Why?

Why?

_They can't protect each other much longer._

Because they both knew they lost the trial,

**They were falling.**

* * *

Sasuke's footsteps echoed with each passing moment. The night was dead and the moon's illumination cleared his path from any obstacles.

Except one.

"Sasuke-kun..."

A large frown of disapproval appeared on his beautiful face.

Why?

Why?

"Why?" Sakura asked.

Because..—!

**I...**

His frown still set, he finally sighed and breathed her name. "Sakura..."

I can't stay.

I can't.

No.

"Go home."

I don't want to be a back-up for your love.

I don't want to be a follow up to Neji.

I don't want to.

No.

_Weak. Weak. Weak._

"Sasuke-kun."

Weak.

Weak!

_Mother... Father... ITACHI!_

WEAK!

"Don't go."

Why?

Because.

_**I...**_

"Sasuke... S-Sasuke...kun..." She whimpered for him.

And she finally burst into tears, crying and running up to him. He tensed when he felt her arms around his body again. He finally admitted that he was starting to understand the day at the ice cream parlor. He was starting to understand that feeling.

Inwardly cursing at her ability to make him listen, to make him stop dead in his tracks and love and smile and _dance _and feel.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Sasuke continued to walk on though.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Weak.

Weak.

_You're weak._

_Too foolish._

_No hatred._

Sasuke continued to walk and ignore the girl that was following him. All she had ever done was drive him fucking _mad_.

**_I need..._**

**_...__you._**

But, I can't have you.

**(Because he was guilty.)**

"Don't leave me. Don't… Don't leave me—"

"Sakura." Sasuke looked over his shoulder, his brow raised. He was curious.

_Curiosity killed the cat._

"—Sasuke… Sasuke…kun…"

"Tch."

Sakura's emerald orbs looked at him as tears streamed down her face. "Don't. Don't. Don't. Please, Sasuke-kun! Please!"

"Why?" He wanted to know.

Sakura ran up to him, grabbing his hand. "I'll scream if you go!"

"Shut up." Sasuke muttered, tugging his hand out of her grasp. He glared at her for a short moment before turning his head completely back towards the entry—_exit _gates.

"WHY?" Sakura yelled. "WHY?"

"Shut up!" Sasuke demanded painfully. He decided that he didn't want to know.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU." Sakura screamed.

I don't care if I broke the rules.

I want you.

I need you.

But, can I have you?

His shoulders straightened, his whole body completely paralyzed. For the first time in ages, the Uchiha was completely dumbstruck. "H-huh?"

"I love you Sasuke-kun." She bit her lip and watched her tears fall to the ground aimlessly. "I love you, so much."

So much.

"Shut up, Sakura."

_Mother... Father... ITACHI!_

ITACHI!

Weak. Foolish.

_**...Love you.**_

You need more...

"Sakura..."

I love you too.

I LOVE YOU TOO!

"Please. Stay with me." Sakura mumbled, her lip slowly dripping blood.

Please.

"Go home."

But, why can't I say it?

...

...

"I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!"

**The jury hereby condemns you, Haruno Sakura, Guilty.**

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke yelled in disgust and anger and _painpainpain_. She was just trying to hurt him, she was wanting him to stay. That's all. She was just lying. She was lying. She was just fucking lying. "NO YOU DON'T."

Sakura cried. "STOP IT."

Just...—because.

"YOU LOVE NEJI."

...

"I've never liked Neji."

She lied?

SHE LIED.

She did. She said so herself. She loved him. She crushed him. She fell for him. She fell for that HYUUGA bastard!

_Mother... Father... ITACHI!_

**(You need**—**)**

EVERYBODY!

"I love you. _Not _Neji."

...

"Never Neji."

_Weak. Weak. Weak._

Don't trust her! Don't trust her! DON'T!

He broke. "You said you LOVED that bastard!"

"NO, I DIDN'T."

Crush is different from love. By far. Never once, had she cared for Neji. Just as never once had Sasuke cared for Ino. Things were complicated back then as they currently were now. Things were very complicated.

Fate fucked them over.

Just because they loved each other, because they swore to forever protect one another.

They lost out.

_Because their friendship was worth more to them than their hearts._

Sasuke was fuming with mixed emotions, his usual cool and placid face was torrential and tossed askew. "Shut up Sakura." He paused.

It's for the best.

"I don't want you."

I love you.

I love you, so fucking much!

That's why—

Sakura stood aback. Tears forming, dripping, falling, and repeating. "But, I want you. I need you, Sasuke-kun. Without you..."

_(Sakura looked at him, "Why are you doing this for me?"_

_Because he'd always protect her,_

_"So you don't __**fall **anymore.")_

It was all the irony mixed up in that one sentence, that one word.

"_...I can't live._" Sakura finished.

"Why did you lie that you had a crush on Neji?" Sasuke asked, clenched fists balled up.

She's lying.

Sakura doesn't love you.

She _can't_.

**(—More—)**

"Because best friends..."

Sasuke paused.

—I can't have you.

Sasuke watched her clench her hands into tight fists as well, her habit of biting her lip seized, and she shut her eyes tightly. Pink hair was covering her face so he couldn't see her shamed expression.

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

Both.

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

She gave him a sad smile. "...don't fall in love."

**(—Hate.)**

_...weak._

...

...

_No one will..._

Sasuke smiled. "Sakura."

He disappeared from her view.

_...live._

It was the moan in their last kiss. "Thank you."

**The jury hereby condemns you, Uchiha Sasuke, Guilty.**

Everything in her vision then went pure black.

Just like him.

Just like those symbols, that are reviving ever so carefully.

Just like his heart.

Just like...her Sasuke-kun.

No one will...

...Live.

So he left.

_Because he would always protect her._

* * *

_Just like it all began..._

-

Deep, mature, emerald orbs narrowed.

Long raven locks, gathered this way and that, flowing against the harsh winter breeze.

A frustrated scowl appeared on her blood-red lips.

_To think that everything ended with something.  
_

_In this case: a friendship, a camaraderie,_

_a sworn love, and a lost promise._

A small foot was placed onto the black pedal.

A kunai was thrown, hitting the innocent civilian.

A courageous foot was being lift off the ground.

_To think their everything, ended with handlebars._

_To think, they once were so much,_

_and then everything had fallen because of some silly conquest.  
_

"KYA!"

The next fuuma shuriken thrown faltered and hit an unsuspecting ANBU.

Blood splurged all around and the body heedlessly fell to the already blood-soaked ground.

Hands were lifted off the handlebars as the boy was helplessly tossed to the ground.

Pain.

_To think that they now had absolutely, everything, to do with one another._

_To think that the Uchiha Sasuke initiated the contact with her,_

_intending on actually destroying her village__._

Then,

_Then, to think that Uchiha Sasuke would actually hit her straight in the heart._

* * *

A fuuma shuriken was deeply lodged in the upper-left side of a masked ANBU's torso. The ANBU disregarded the wound to look at a boy, approximately the age of 6. "Hey, kid!"

"S-Sugi." The boy cried, biting his bottom lip to try and muffle his hiccups.

"Kid, we're in the middle of a _war_. Why the _hell _are you riding a bike?"

Sugi looked at the masked figure, torrents of emotion flooding throughout his mind. Sugi carefully stared at the downed figure and saw a pink string tumble from the back of the mask. Raising his head, the boy muffled a cry when he saw a pair of demonic, red eyes looking at him.

_("I like long hair, I guess, and...")_

The horrifying eyes looked at him with a lust for blood.

Crimson liquid continued to pour out of the downed ANBU, causing the tall man to turn his flawless face to the right. A smile was plastered on his face, looking down at the dying figure.

Blood splattered. Symbols of black flashed. Red eyes glared.

He frowned and with his furious red eyes bleeding through the boy's soul, he finally greeted him. "_Hello, Sugi-san_."

A malicious tone was hinted underneath each syllable.

The man's katana unsheathed from the back of his purple belt and he continued to slowly stalk up to the boy.

A devious smile planted itself on the man's face. _"My name is Sasuke-kun."_

_**FZZT! FZZT! FZZT!**_

Lightning chakra swiftly flew onto and throughout the katana that the Uchiha grasped.

Sadistic.

Devilish.

Fear gripped Sugi's body and he continued to crawl backwards. However, the boy runs out of room for his back soon enough placed against the Ichiraku wall.

"STOP IT!"

_("SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura screamed, burying her head deeper into his chest. She then finally returned his strong grip on her, by tightly hugging his body. "STOP IT!"__)_

_**FZZT! FZZT! FZZT!**_

Sasuke looked back.

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

So, _appetizing_.

Blood!

Green eyes stared through the eye slits.

Blood.

More blood.

The Uchiha looked down at the fallen ANBU and cocked a smirk at the thought of them being so weak and foolish. "Stupid Leaf-nin, what a rookie move."

_("... Smart and...")_

A sad smile hid itself behind the mask.

"Wasting your life, for some _ignorant _kid."

**_Weak. Weak. Weak._**

Sasuke lets his sandal press against the weapon in her body, deepening the already fatal wound. A demon's chuckle escaped his lips. "Pathetic!"

**_Foolish. Foolish. Foolish._**

Get more.

_**Get much, much more—**_

Her hands are trembling and she gasped in pain from his sadism.

**_—hate._**

"Sasuke...kun."

_She called for him._

_For him._

_No one else,_

**_Him._**

He paused.

"You're scaring me." She muttered, her teeth beginning to graze her bottom lip in hesitation and horror.

_**FZZT! FZZT! FZZT! FZZZZZZT!!**_

"_What did you call me?_" The Uchiha spat with pure rage, his sharingan ablaze with pure anguish and hatred and _painpainpain_.

She suddenly giggled so innocently and naïvely, "You're so funny."

Green met crimson.

_**FZZT...**__**—**_

Sasuke bent down to remove the mask of the fallen ANBU. Slowly his arm extended, relieving her face of the God-forsaken mask.

_("So you don't fall anymore.")_

Sakura covered in blood.

_His_ Sakura.

_("So, I'll protect you Sakura.")_

Her blood.

_Her _blood_._

_("... Pretty and...")_

"You always had a thing with irony."

Pink hair. Glistening emerald orbs. Blood-red lips. Over-sized forehead. Rosy cheeks. Pale skin.

Why? Why? Why? Why?!

Radiation of innocence.

...

Faded green eyes.

**_"Because best friends..."_**

...

..!

Closing...

_I need you._

Closing...

...

_D-Don't go!_

_Please!_

...

...

_("...Strong.")_

_Because they couldn't protect each other, anymore._

...Closed.

Without you...

The Uchiha's body shooke.

"S-Sakura?!"

_I love you, so fucking much._

_That's why_—

**_Smile. "... Don't fall in love."_**

—_I can't have you._

...I can't live.

-

_Just like it began,_

_It all ended with handlebars..._

* * *

**A/N:** Ew. This was unbelievably long and tiresome to fix all the errors. But, I like it better now. And it's like 3k words longer. Yeah. I'm just amazing. Roflcopter. I still think I should have changed it into a chapter story, because it's so freakin' long.

**Reviews make me write :)**

EWHH its Kenna


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